Button-hole sewing-machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shet 1. W. RAEUGHLE.

BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINE No. 277,928. v Patented May 22,1883.

N, PETERS. Phowumu n her. \Vashmgm D4 Q (NoModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. RAEUOHLE.

BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINE.

Patented May 22,1883.

Wil'qaEs E5.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet s.

W. RAEUCHLE.

BUTTON HOLE SEWING MAOHINB. No. 277,928. Patented May 22,1883.

N. vnzns, mwwumn mr. Walhinglcn. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM RAEUC'HLEOF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BUTTON-H OLE SEWI NGrMAC H lN E.

SPECIFIOATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 277,928, dated May 212, 1883.

I Application filed September 11, 1882. (No model.) i

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BAEUOHLE,

:a citizen of the United States, residing at Bos- ;ton, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massach usetts,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Hole Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the same are fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying draw ings.

My invention relates to improvements in button'hole sewing-machines, and has reference more particularly to the feed mechanism and other details, as hereinafter described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofv a machine provided with my im: provements; Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line as 00, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a bottom View; Figs. 4 to 10,inclusive, details of the feed mechanism; and Fig. 11 represents a plan of the clamp and guide-plate, and Fig. 12 a side view of the same, with a portion of the guide-plate and bed of the machine in section.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

A represents the standard, and B the arm, of the machine, in which are located the usual vertical and horizontal shafts,and beneath the arm are located the usual means for reciprocatingthe needle-bar carrier, which, with other parts not fully shown and described, may be of any well-known suitable construction.

By referring to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the needle-bar carrier Gis mounted on the arm in a dovetail bearing, the slanted face of which at the top is formed by or constitutes a wedge, c, which, by means of a screw, 0, passing through a slot in the body of the wedge into the arm of the machine, is rendered adjustable, in order to prevent lost motion and secure accuracy in the movements of the carrier and to take up the natural wear of the parts. On the end of the horizontal shaft '1 and in rear of the usual needle-bar-operating mechanism, is a cam, cl, which at each reciprocation of the needle-bar projects against the upper end of the lever d, provided with afriction-roller, (1 and pivoted to the arm of the machine at d, thus forcing its lower end against a horizontal lever, E, pivoted at e on the lower end of the carrier 0, between which .rotation of the screw in its seat.

lever and the carrier islocated a pair of springnippers, F.

By the construction thus far described it by the eye of the needle, it during the reciprocation of the carrier 0 remains in the same place between the spring-nippers and under the same part of the lever E, as they. are both secured to the needle-bar carrier G, and as the back of lever E, on which the end of lever (1 slides when pressed by lever 01, is parallel to the line of motion of the carrier,the lever (1, being stationary, acts evenly'upon the lever E, which reciprocates bodily, compressing thenipper on the thread, and thus firmly,

and directly holds the same and insuresgreater regularity and uniformity in the stitch.

Referring to Fig. 3, G represents a disk, rigidly attached to the vertical shaft 9 of the machine. TO the wrist-pin g of the disk is suitably jointed a connecting-rod, g, the'opposite end of which is coupled to a.- lever, H. Supported on a bracket, H, isa short vertical shaft, I, to the upper end of which is fixed a pinion, I, that meshes with the usual feedwheel, I. (See Fig. 11.) The lever H is fulcrumed on the hub of a ratchet, J, which rotates on the shaft I. Between the ratchet and lever, and fulcrumed upon the hub of the former,

, is a pawl-carrying sector or plate, K. (Shown detached in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, respectively, in elevation, top, and bottom views.) At the free end of lever H is a set-screw, h, the head of which is notched for the reception of a springcatch, It, (see Fig. 5,) to prevent unintended Said screw h is arranged to strike against the pawl-plate K during the forward or feeding movement of the free end of the lever H,'as hereinafter described. The two pawls 7c are pivoted to the plate and spring-pressed into the teeth of the ratchet J, and are of such proportional relative lengths that as one rests fully in one of theteeth of the ratchet the other lies at about the center of the incline of another tooth, so that the forward movement of the ratchet is limited, for as the ratchet advancesby intervals of half a tooth each pawl falls alternately, and the same efiect is produced as if the number of teethv on the ratchet were doubled. In this manneranymultiple ofa halftooth advance can be secured, and thus the length of the stitches accurately regulated to the mostpractical fineness.

with a projection I.

On the upper side of the plate K is a projecting stud, 7C2, which in the return or back-- ward and non-operating movementof the pawlplate comes in contact with projections located on the shifting plate L, pivotally secured on the under surface of the base of the machine. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) On this plate L is a bar, I, pivoted at I, and spring-pressed to a position determined by a pin, 1 projecting into a slot formed in the plate. The bar I is provided Au adjustably-seeured bar, 1*, having a projection, l is also provided on the plate L, and a friction-roller, 1, projects from plate L, and rides in a cam-groove (not shown) formed in one side of the feed-wheel l \Vith in the ratchet is a coiled spriug,j, one end of which is secured to the free end of the lever H and the other end to the hub of the pawlplate K, as clearly shown in Figs. 9 and 10. An elliptical spring, 17, is arranged inside of the bracket, H, to bear on a shoulder, Z of the ratchet J, the pressure being regulated by a screw, 1 (see Fig 3,) so that the said spring shall act as a detent to prevent a backward movement ofthe ratchet duriuga similar movement of the lever H and pawl-plate K.

By the construction thus far described it will be seen that during one-half a revolution of the disk G the lever H is drawn at its pivoted end backward by means of the connectingrod {1 and the free end of the lever is thrown forward, and the set-screw 7b is adjusted so that sooner or later in said forward movement of the free end it shall strike against the pawl-plate K and carry it along with the lever, and by means of the pawls the ratchet J also to the end of the throw, while during the return movement of the lever,which is caused during the remainder of the rotation of the disk G, the springj is tightened about the hub of the plate K until the friction thereof is overcome, and it (the plate) caused to follow the levcriu its backward movement, when the pawls take into other teeth, ready for another step in the feed. The distance which the pawl-plate and pawls shall so follow back is determined by the projection on the plate L, against which the projection of the pawlplate shall abut, and the shifting-plate projection is selected by means of the friction-roller I and cam-groove of the feed-whcel 1 which, if the stitches are being formed in the side of the button-hole, will bring the projection i into the path of the projection k and stop the fur-' 'ther backward movement of the pawls, so that a less feed of material is caused; or it the eye of the button-hole is being stitched the same mechanism brings the projection 1 into said path, so that a greater feed of the material about a central point shall be caused in order to properly lay the stitches about and within the eye.

Referring to Figs. 11 and 12, m represents the button, placed above the center of the feed wheel L and through the slot of the clam p-plate upon which the material tobe sewedis held by the clamps N, the clamp guide-post being represented at O, and the guide-slot at 0. The clamps N are pivoted, as shown, and are pressed toward each other and the spreading-lever l by a spring, a, and are depressed by a lever, Q. (Clearly showninFigs.1,11,and12.) By this construction and arrangement of the clamps they are adapted to be spread without springing them out of shape, and are readily removable for replacement or repair.

1% represents a clamp-rest to hold the clamp while cutting a button-hole. Said rest is made adjustable in the forward end of the guide-slot 0 of the plate M and bed T of the machine, by means of the set-screw R acting on the bent projection It of the rest. R is a stop 011 the rest to prevent the clamp from being pulled too far forward, as by'such a withdrawalof the clamp a button-hole might be cut in the wrong place, or the clamp-plate loosened by bringing the button within the eye of the button-slot in in the lower clamp-plate, N.

S represents a sprin g-pressed lever, provided with a friction-roller,s,which acts to keep the lower clamp-plate against the button m. A pin, 8 limits the inward movement of the lever S. By this construction a more elastic spring can be used than when the roller 8 is mounted directly on the spring, as heretofore.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. A 'reciprocatiu g needle-bar carrier provided witha horizontal lever pivoted thereto, and with interposed spring-nippers, in combination with a lever pivotally secured to a fixed portion of the arm, and means for intermittently operating the levers, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the main shaft of a sewing-machine, of a reciprocating needlebar carrier, needle-reciprocating mechanism, spring-nippers arranged in line with and extending throughout the throw of the carrier, a lever pivoted to the same and extending over the nippers, a lever pivoted to a fixed portion of the arm, and a cam adapted to intermittcntly'operate said lever, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the vertical shaft, of a disk, a connecting-rod, a lever fulcrumed on the hub of a ratchet-wheel, a plate carrying pawls and means for varying the backward movementof said plate, substantially as shown anddescribed.

4. The combination of a lever fulcrumed on the hub of a ratchet, an interposed pawl-plate, and a coiled spring secured at one end to said lever and at the other end to the hub of said plate, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of a lever and pawlplate fulcrumed upon the hub of a ratchet, a coiled spring secured to the lever and plate, and a set-screw interposed between the lever and plate, substantially as shown and described. I

, 6. The combination of a lever-and-pawl 70k, the shaft 1, pinion I, and feed-wheel 1 plate, the latter provided with a projection or with the shifting plate L, provided with the stop, and both fulcrnmed on the hub of a adjustable bar I and spring-pressed bar I, as ratchet, a-shifting plate provided with projecset forth. p 2o 5 tions or stops, and means for selecting the 10. The combination of the pivoted clampstops of the shifting plate, substantially as ing-arrns N N, the spring n, operating upon shown and described. both arms, the spreading-cam P, and the dey 7. The. combination of a clamp and an ad pressing-lever Q, substantially as shown and justable clamp-rest provided with a stop, subdescribed. 2 5 1o stantia-lly as shown and described. In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig- 8. The combination of the shaft D, cam d, nature in presence of two witnesses. lever d, pivoted to the arm B, lever E, pivoted to the carrier 0, and the spring-nippers F, sub- WILLIAM RAEUOHLE' stantially as shown and described. Witnesses: V 15 9. The combination of the lever H, ratchet HENRY GHADBOURN,

J, and plate K, having the stop It and'pawls JAMES W. WATSON. 

